Sunday, 7 August 2016

Ironstone Mountain

7th August 2016

Ironstone Mountain

After spending a night at a friend's place at Jackeys Marsh, I went up Ironstone early in the day with another mate and previous Abel companion, Bert. We headed off up Smoko Road to the start of the walking trail and stormed off fueled on hot food from the Meander Post Office. After around 20 minutes we reached the turn off to Mother Cummings Peak, and went the other direction to keep following Smoko Creek up onto the plateau.

I was not prepared for how gorgeous this walk would be. Easily some of the most beautiful Myrtle forest I've walked in, tall trees with minimal undergrowth, mostly ferns. The stand out feature was the creek itself, featuring many beautiful cascades (including Chasm Falls), crystal clear water, and a mind blowing crevasse in the creek bed that was about 12m deep, 1m wide and filled with churning aquamarine water. After around one and a half hours we reached the plateau and immediately lost the marked (presumably cairned up there) track. The snow was a bit too deep to keep them visible, so we bashed our way up to the high summit plateau. That took us around an hour, but was good fun if a little slow going.

Once on the high plateau, we had to walk a few hundred meters to the actual summit of Ironstone, a trip that on the way back we donned snow shoes for. The summit view was beautiful, especially the outlook to the snow capped Overland mountains. We ate some oranges and then started our descent back to the car, charging off at quite a pace. It was a great way to spend a beautiful Sunday. Thanks Bert!

1 comment:

Yes a beautiful walk, especially the Myrtle forest. I can definitely recommend this one, even if only to the turn off to Mother Cummings, on a still Summer day wondering up the creek bed. Dad and I did this one years ago, the area where you hit the snow we put on our cross country skis and ski-ed uphill to the plateau!! Much easier than walking knee deep!! :) Beaut photos Zane :)

Who am I?

Hi, I'm Zane!

I am going to be climbing all of Tasmania's Abels over the quickest time period that I can, while still enjoying the ride! I started out with a time period that I wanted to achieve it by (to become the quickest 'Abelist'), but found I was putting unnecessary pressure on myself. So it's now purely about enjoying being in the mountains.

Come with me and share my adventure!

What is an Abel?

An Abel is a mountain in Tasmania that meets a certain classification. It must be over 1,100 metres in altitude and have a drop on all sides of at least 150 metres before the land starts to rise again. With this classification, 158 mountains are discerned from the landscape.

Some are simple daywalks, achievable by most people. And others are relatively remote peaks, with little or no track to them, creating a challenge for any wanting to see their splendor. Fun!

Why am I doing this?

The main reason I am doing this is purely for the adventure! I love my little island home and really enjoy getting outside to see and appreciate what a special place it is. And if I can share the adventure along the way, I think it's even better!

Contact

If you wish to contact me for use of images, publication, or to come on an adventure with me, please do so here:

FAQ

1. Why are you doing this?

For the fun and the challenge of it!

2. Have you climbed many Abels before?

Yes I have. I have climbed about 20 -25 of them over my life; both as personal trips and as my career as an bushwalking guide. I am starting 'afresh' so I can climb all 158 Abels in the quickest time I can, while still enjoying the experience.

3. How can you afford it?

I have saved some money over the past few years, and continue to work at an outdoor retail shop while I will be peak bagging. In reality though, it won't be a very expensive expedition as my main costs will be food and fuel!

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